Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

lord morris of aberavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the British steel industry is paying more for electricity than its counterparts in Europe; what is the average megawatt price for steel producers in the UK; and how it compares with the cost of electricity for steel producers in France.

lord henley: Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010.The steel sector has received more than £295 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive, including over £53 million during 2018. In addition, between 2017 and 2019, the Government has introduced policies that provide eligible steel producers with an 85% reduction in renewable energy policy costs in their electricity bills. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.Between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh, an increase of 25%.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Jamal Khashoggi

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the findingsin the report ofthe UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Investigation into the unlawful death of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi, published on 19 June,that (1) Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a premeditated extrajudicial execution, for which the State of Saudi Arabia is responsible, (2) there is "credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi officials’ individual liability, including that of the Crown Prince's", (3) the Human Rights Council, the Security Council or the UN Secretary-General should conduct an international follow-up criminal investigation for the purpose of determining individual liability and identifying options towards judicial accountability, and (4) there have been few effective international responses, whether legal, political or diplomatic, to date.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The United Kingdom condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last October. We made this clear in our statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 26 June. We remain clear that anyone found responsible – following a credible judicial process – must be held to account. We urge all parties to share relevant information. We are concerned by reported restrictions regarding the investigative process. We advise Saudi Arabia to do all it can to ensure transparency of the judicial process.

Bahrain: Freedom of Expression

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 June (HL16330), what further representations they will make to the government of Bahrain about protecting freedom of expression for all Bahrainis in line with its international obligations; and what specific representations they have made to that government after it threatened Bahrainis with legal action if they follow anti-government social media accounts.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have a close relationship with Bahrain which allows us to have constructive and frank discussions where we have concerns, including on freedom of expression. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to protect freedom of expression for all of its citizens, in line with its international obligations. The UK supports freedom of expression and freedom of speech as both a fundamental right in itself and as an essential element of a full range of human rights.

Russia: Warships

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 June (HL16343), what assessment they have made of the case for reviewing (1) the Agreement Between the Government of The United States of America and the Government of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA), and (2) the Agreement Between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics concerning the Prevention of Incidents at Sea beyond the Territorial Sea, following the recent close naval encounter and near collision of United States and Russian ships in the East China Sea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​With respect to the Agreement Between the Government of The United States of America and the Government of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA), that there is a bilateral agreement between the US and Russia and as such is a matter for those States.The Agreement between the British Government and Russia, formerly the Soviet Union since 1986 includes a provision for an annual review to update its terms. The last review discussions were held in April 2017. These discussions provide a forum in which both parties can raise concerns regarding recent incidents at sea and agree further risk reduction measures to improve transparency and communication.

Department of Health and Social Care

Obesity: Children

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Brexit on measures to tackle child obesity.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: As a responsible Government, we have been planning for all eventualities and that includes managing the impacts of a ‘no deal’ European Union exit.Following the publication of our world leading strategy Childhood Obesity: a plan for action in 2016 and Childhood Obesity: a plan for action, Chapter 2, significant progress has been made. Since the publication of the 2016 plan, half of all drinks in scope of the soft drinks industry levy are being reformulated, some products in the sugar production programme are exceeding their first year target, and significant investments are being made in schools to promote physical activity and healthy eating.Consultations have been conducted on a number of policy areas from Chapter 2 and our responses to those will be set out later this year. As we have received thousands of responses to these consultations it is important we take the time to consider them carefully before we take action on this important issue.

Bacterial Diseases

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 4 June (HL15832), what assessment they have made of (1) the future costs to the NHS as a result of the spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, (2) the costs of new measures introduced in 2019 specifically to prevent the transmission of such Enterobacteriaceae, and (3) the views of infection control nurses on investment to prevent the transmission of such Enterobacteriaceae.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: Public Health England (PHE) has predicted future spread and the health and cost impact to the National Health Service of the Enterobacteriaceae Escherichia coli and a national outbreak of a highly-resistant organism, reflecting carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The models used in this assessment are published in the paper A Risk Assessment of Antibiotic Pan-Drug-Resistance in the UK: Bayesian Analysis of an Expert Elicitation Study. A copy of the paper is attached.Such predictions are highly uncertain. There remain unknowns regarding transmission, efficacy of interventions and the additional hospital stay for infected patients (constituting a large part of the cost to the NHS).PHE has worked with NHS colleagues, estimating the cost of controlling a carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) outbreak in five London hospitals to be over £1 million. Monitoring costs alongside implementation of PHE’s upcoming update of the CPE toolkit for health and social care is an important component of enabling cost-effectiveness evaluation.Staff interviewed about the challenges of implementing the existing CPE toolkit highlighted maintaining awareness and training as key challenges, alongside infection prevention resourcing. An analysis of the responses was published in the paper An evaluation of a toolkit for the early detection, management, and control of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: a survey of acute hospital trusts in England. A copy is attached.



Risk Assessment of Antibiotic Pan Drug Resistance
(PDF Document, 981.24 KB)




An evaluation of a toolkit
(PDF Document, 187.95 KB)

NHS: Migrant Workers

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the impact on the ability of the NHS to recruit experienced staff from the EUof the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and what plans they have to make up any shortfall in numbers of staff.

baroness blackwood of north oxford: The Government recognises the need for the National Health Service to be able to recruit effectively from abroad and the Immigration White Paper, The UK’s future skills-based immigration system, published in December 2018, sets out the foundation for a single immigration system, where it is workers’ skills that matter, not where they come from.The Government has taken steps to ensure that European Union citizens can continue to come and work in the NHS once we have left the EU. In March 2019, we put in place legislation that ensures the continued recognition of qualifications from EU countries by all professional regulators covering the health and social care sectors. This means that EU citizens will continue to be able to come and practice in the United Kingdom once we have left the EU, even if we leave without a ‘deal’.The NHS Long Term Plan and interim People Plan have both set out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next 10 years the NHS will have the staff it needs so that nurses and doctors have the time they need to care, working in a supportive culture that allows them to provide the expert compassionate care they are committed to providing. The interim People Plan sets out how part of this will be made up from an expansion of international recruitment of NHS staff.

Ministry of Justice

Immigration: Children in Care

lord russell of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have issued to local authorities about the process of applying for legal aid through exceptional case funding for unaccompanied and separated children for children from the European Economic Area and Switzerland in care.

lord russell of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice on 23 April (244118), when they estimate they will introduce legislation to grant legal aid to unaccompanied and separated children; and whether updated guidance will be available to local authorities and social care trusts about the availability of legal aid for looked-after children going through the EU Settlement Scheme.

lord keen of elie: We have issued communications to Local Authority Directors of Children’s Services on the availability of exceptional case funding for separated migrant children’s immigration matters.As part of Legal Support Action Plan, we are working to issue new guidance to improve understanding and awareness of the availability of exceptional case funding.We have engaged with charity groups and stakeholders on this issue and have committed to lay legislation to bring non-asylum immigration matters into the scope of legal aid for separated migrant children. Subject to parliamentary time we intend to lay the amendment as soon as possible. Over the coming months we will continue to work with children’s charities and the Department of Education on further communications and guidance on this amendment.

Abortion: Autism and Learning Disability

baroness hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times the Court of Protection has ordered the termination of a pregnancy in a woman with a learning disability or autism in the last ten years; and on how many occasions this has been against the wishes of the woman or her family.

lord keen of elie: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Television: Licensing

baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional support to the court service in order to deal with any increase in cases of non-payment of TV licences by vulnerable defendants over the age of 75 from June 2020.

lord keen of elie: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service has not made any specific arrangements for any potential increase in non-payment prosecutions for TV licences from June 2020. If required, to meet any emerging demand, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service will deploy its planning and allocation processes which allow for resource adjustment or reallocation.

Treasury

Inheritance Tax

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to scrap the inheritance tax 40per cent excess policy abovean individual's £325,000 allowance.

lord young of cookham: Inheritance tax makes an important contribution to the health of public finances and the Government has no plans to abolish it. The rate of inheritance tax is normally 40% on the value of an estate above a nil rate band of £325,000. Any unused nil rate band may be transferred to a surviving spouse or civil partner, increasing their combined threshold to up to £650,000. However, the Government recognises that individuals work hard to build up assets with the aim of passing these on to their families. Rising house prices have contributed to more families facing an inheritance tax bill. The Government is addressing this through the phased introduction of the additional £175,000 residence nil rate band. Any unused residence nil rate band may also be transferred to a surviving spouse or civil partner. Taken together, the combination of the nil rate bands means an individual could pass on up to £500,000 in 2020-21 and the estate of the remaining spouse or civil partner could pass on up to £1 million under certain circumstances in 2020-21. Around 96% of estates are forecast to be able to pass on all their assets without paying any inheritance tax as a result. In January 2018, the Chancellor of the Exchequer commissioned the Office of Tax Simplification to review the tax. The first report was published in November 2018 and the second report in July 2019. The Government will consider the recommendations.

Financial Services: Infrastructure

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to invest in infrastructure projects in the UK financial services industry to help address climate change.

lord young of cookham: On 2nd July, the Government launched its Green Finance Strategy with the ambition to align private sector financial flows with clean, environmentally sustainable and resilient growth, and strengthen the competitiveness of our financial sector. The strategy outlines how we will drive the greening of the financial system and help mobilise private sector finance to meet our environmental objectives, including through infrastructure projects in the UK and overseas. We have also worked with the City of London to launch the Green Finance Institute on 2nd July.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the WrittenAnswerby Baroness Buscombe on 25 June (HL16417),why the draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019, which were laid on 14 January, have not yet been tabled for debate and affirmative resolution in the House of Lords.

baroness buscombe: On 3 May 2019, the High Court handed down a judgment in relation to Universal Credit and the Severe Disability Premium (SDP). The judgment quashed the SDP related parts of the draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019. The Department is currently considering the options open to us and will respond in due course.

Poverty: Children

baroness primarolo: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Buscombe on 17 June (HL Deb, col 653), how many children living in absolute poverty in a household where the adult is (1) self-employed, and (2) in part-time employment, will benefit from the “£1.7 billion a year cash boost to our welfare system”; and by how much the family income will increase per annum in those households.

baroness primarolo: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Buscombe on 17 June (HL Deb, col 653), how much each household will gain per week from the £1.7 billion a year cash boost announced in the Budget.

baroness buscombe: The change announced in the Budget will enable working parents and people with disabilities on Universal Credit to keep £630 extra income each year or around £12 per week. HM Treasury’s distributional analysis, published alongside Budget 2018, shows the cumulative effect on household incomes of policies on welfare, tax, and public service spending measures. Because different measures often interact with each other, this cumulative assessment provides the best representation of the overall intended policy effect. This shows that the Government’s decisions have benefited households throughout the income distribution, with the poorest households gaining the most as a percentage of net income. DWP has not conducted research into the impact of Universal Credit on household poverty. Estimates of the number and proportion of individuals in relative low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series, available on gov.uk. The latest annual publication was on 2017/18 data and we will continue to monitor relative low income rates in future publications. We are committed to building a country that works for everyone – not just the privileged few. We know that work is the best route out of poverty and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work. The impact of Universal Credit cannot be considered in isolation; it is a key component of a broader strategy to move Britain to a higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society.

Poverty: Children

baroness primarolo: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Buscombe on 17 June (HL Deb, col 653), how many children live in the “2.4 million households” who will “keep more of what they earn”.

baroness buscombe: The Department estimates there will be around 4.1m children in households in Great Britain that will gain from the change in work allowances by 2023/24.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Formaldehyde

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to restrict the use of formaldehyde in domestic articles such as MDF panels that are found to emit formaldehyde fumes that exceed World Health Organization safety limits.

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on the restrictions planned forformaldehyde releases from articles, including wood-based panels, under the European Chemical Agency's REACH authorisation list.

lord gardiner of kimble: Under the Construction Products Regulation, MDF manufactured in Europe must be labelled to European standards ‘E1’ or ‘E2’. 95% of EU companies comply voluntarily with the ‘E1’ standard, meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.Proposals for a restriction to control formaldehyde releases from articles (which would include wood-based panels) are being considered under the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regime. The European Chemicals Agency is expected to produce its opinion on the proposal around 20 March 2020, though the subsequent adoption of a legislative decision will be dependent on the outcome of further discussions.In a no deal exit from the EU, all existing EU restrictions will continue in the UK. A UK REACH system would retain the process for restricting a chemical.

Industry: Pollution Control

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to abide by the guidance and emissions limits set out under the 2015 EU Industrial Emissions Directive, following its implementationdate on 20 November, whether or not the UK continues to be a member of the EU.

lord gardiner of kimble: Yes. The UK is committed to maintaining environmental standards after we leave the EU and will continue to apply the existing successful model of integrated pollution control, using Best Available Techniques to control emission limits. The EU Withdrawal Act 2018 maintains established environmental principles and ensures that existing EU environmental law will continue to have effect in UK law, including the Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU).

Plastics: Labelling

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration, if any, they have given to introducing legislation to require wet wipes and similar products to list the proportion of plastics in their composition.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government recognises the importance of introducing requirements to inform and influence consumers on the appropriate use and disposal of products containing plastic. The Resources and Waste Strategy published in December 2018 makes commitments to develop mandatory labelling requirements and this work is underway. This includes wet wipes.

Veterinary Medicine: Migrant Workers

lord rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to guarantee access to sufficient numbers of Official Veterinarians from outside the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: In the event of a no-deal Brexit, overseas vets already registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) or in the process of registering by 30 October 2019 will continue to have their qualifications recognised. Government has legislated to ensure that new vets wishing to work here can also register with the RCVS if their qualification meets the required equivalent standards. Individuals with a degree that does not meet the RCVS equivalent will be able to apply to sit the RCVS statutory examination. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is offering free training for Official Vets (OVs) to sign Export Health Certificates (EHCs) for food products: 830 have enrolled and 379 have qualified. The total number of OVs who can sign EHCs for food products has increased by more than 300 since 8 February to 972. Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency and Animal and Plant Health Agency have reviewed processes in order to maximise the effectiveness of staff, including recruiting and training more official auxiliary staff. APHA have created a new role of Certification Support Officer to handle a number of preparatory and administrative tasks for assuring UK EHCs, under vet management. The supervising vet will retain responsibility for the assurances provided.

Home Office

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progressthey have made in negotiating work streams with the EU to examine technical alternatives to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has established a Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group of technical experts in customs and trade to test ideas. The work of the group will help inform the UK’s negotiations with the EU on developing alternative arrangements to the Northern Ireland backstop

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any contracts have been proposed, let, or completed for work on examining technical alternatives to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

baroness williams of trafford: No contracts have been proposed, let or completed for work examining technical alternatives to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.In a Joint Statement on 11 March, the UK and EU committed to working together on alternative arrangements to replace the backstop by December 2020. To ensure that the UK is ready to move at pace in the next phase, the Government is putting in place the UK’s arrangements to support this work.The UK’s position will be informed by the work of advisory groups; a technical experts group, a business and trade union engagement group and a parliamentary engagement group.

Drugs: Smuggling

lord hogan-howe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they measure the performance and success of the National Crime Agency in limiting the import and supply of controlled substances such as cocaine and heroin.

baroness williams of trafford: In line with the National Serious Organised Crime Performance Framework, disruption data allows for the assessment of varied activities including traditional law enforcement Pursue responses and the broader spectrum of Prevent, Protect and Prepare activities, carried out by a range of agencies and government departments.Therefore, across SOC threats (including Drugs), the NCA assesses its disruptions by the extent to which an activity is judged to have led to a reduction in the threat from an individual, group, or vulnerability linked to serious and organised crime. This approach helps to calibrate the NCA’s effort towards the highest harm serious and organised criminals and networks.

Police: Recruitment

lord hogan-howe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of (1) their announcement of an additional £970 million in funding for the police service in 2019, (2) the fact that each police officer costs approximately £50,000 a year, and (3) their proposals to fund an increase in police numbers of 3,500 officers, they will instead be able to fund an extra 20,000 police officers.

baroness williams of trafford: Police funding is increasing by over £1 billion this year, including council tax and serious violence funding. Police force spending is a decision for PCCs and Chief Constables, considering their local pressures and priorities.The Home Secretary has committed to prioritising police funding at the next Spending Review.

Knives: Crime

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide sufficient support for police forces tackling increased rates of knife crime among young people.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is determined to do everything it can to tackle knife crime and break the deadly cycle of violence that devastates the lives of victims, families and communities.The police funding settlement provides the police with the biggest increase in funding since 2010, and in addition we are providing the additional £100 million to tackle serious violence announced in the Spring Statement on 13 March, which includes £80m of new funding from the Treasury. £63.4 million of this funding has been allocated to the 18 police forces most affected by serious violence to pay for surge operational activity, including increased patrols. £1.6 million has been invested in improving the quality of data on serious violence to support planning and operations. A full list of the forces and the funding they have received from the serious violence fund is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/police-granted-funding-boost-for-action-on-serious-violenceWe are also taking wider actions to address knife crime. The £35m of the Serious Violence Fund is being invested in Violence Reduction Units to support multi-agency efforts to tackle serious violence. Through the Offensive Weapons Act we are tightening the law in relation to knives, including making it an offence to possess certain offensive weapons in private. We are also introducing new Knife Crime Prevention Orders, to help to the police address young people who are on the cusp of serious violence, encouraging them make more positive lifestyle choices. We also continue to support the police national weeks of action against knife crime under Operation Sceptre.

Young People: Crimes of Violence

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken towards (1) adopting a public health approachto tackling youth violence, and (2) putting in place a long-term strategy, including early intervention, toprevent the murder ofyoung people.

baroness williams of trafford: Tackling serious violence is a top priority for the Government and it is clear we must continue to step up the response to stop this violence.The Serious Violence Strategy sets out the Government’s approach, which depends on a multi-agency approach across several sectors. The Strategy places a greater emphasis on early intervention and prevention to tackle the root causes of serious violence and provide young people with the skills and resilience to lead productive lives free from crime.On 1 April, we launched a consultation on a new legal duty to support a public health approach to preventing and tackling serious violence. The consultation closed on 28 May, and the Government response to the consultation will be published shortly.On 13 March, an additional £100 million to tackle serious violence was announced at the Spring Statement. £63.4 million of this funding has been allocated to 18 police forces worst affected by serious violence to support increased police operational activity, and £1.6m is being used to improve the data available on knife crime to support police activity. On 17 April, we announced that the remaining £35m of this funding will be invested in the development of Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in areas most affected by serious violence. The VRUs will bring together a range of agencies to address the causes of violence.The Home Secretary has also established a new £200m Youth Endowment Fund that will provide targeted intervention and support over the next 10 years for those young people most at risk of serious violence. A key purpose will be to develop the evidence base demonstrating which interventions are most effective in deterring children and young people away from crime and violence and, since it will operate for a minimum of ten years, it will have the capacity to bring successful interventions all the way through from pilot stage to deployment at scale. The Fund will ensure that this vital learning is shared and help ensure that the most effective interventions are funded.The Youth Endowment Fund became effective from the start of April. It is independent of Government and is being run by the charity Impetus, working in partnership with the Early Intervention Foundation and Social Investment Business. The first funding round is open for applications from 28 May until 23 July.

Deportation: Commonwealth

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to remove the threat of deportation from those people of Commonwealth parentage whowere born after the introduction of the British Nationality Act 1983and who were subsequently denied British citizenship.

baroness williams of trafford: Under the UK Borders Act 2007, the Secretary of State has a legal duty to make a deportation order in respect of a foreign criminal sentenced to a period of 12 months or more imprisonment. This is subject to a number of exceptions, including where to do so would breach a person’s ECHR rights or the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention.We have no plans to make changes to the UK Borders Act 2007 or Article 8 public interest considerations which were approved by Parliament during the passage of the Immigration Act 2014.A child of a Commonwealth national, born after 1 January 1983, can apply to the Windrush Scheme for evidence of their immigration status. Unless they are liable to deportation on grounds of criminality, they will not be removed from the UK.

Children in Care: Immigration

lord russell of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they assess whether local authorities are identifying children in their care who need to address immigration issues; and how they intend to ensure that all European national children in care apply to the EU Settlement Scheme before the deadline for applications.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office has been engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are supported.The Home Office has issued a series of letters to all Directors of Children Services making recommendations about the activity local authorities and their staff need to undertake to make applications to EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) for looked after children and care leavers.These recommendations have been followed up with a round of teleconferences aimed directly at local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts to find further information about EUSS and to share information with colleagues across the UK. The aim of the teleconferences is to monitor the level of take up to the scheme and to surface early any problems a local authority might be experiencing. These calls will continue through the lifetime of the EUSS.The Home Office will shortly be surveying local authorities to benchmark current uptake of the scheme, and to baseline current cohorts of EEA citizen looked after children and care leavers. This survey will take place at set intervals throughout the lifecycle of the EUSS.A New Burdens Assessment has also been produced in collaboration with key stakeholders representing local authorities and children’s social services to ensure they are funded to identify and support eligible EEA children and family members in care.

Immigration: Children in Care

lord russell of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have issued to local authorities about the provision of support for children from the European Economic Area and Switzerland who are subject to interim care orders and are applying, or intend to apply, for status through the EU Settlement Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office has issued guidance about the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to help local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts understand their responsibilities for supporting looked after children and care leavers. The EUSS has been designed to be as simple as possible, but we have committed to working with applicants, and those supporting them, to ensure they obtain the status they need where required.The Home Office has been engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are supported.

Immigration: Children in Care

lord russell of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government why their Looked-after Children and Care leavers: EU Settlement Scheme Local Authorities and Social Care Trusts Guidance, published on 3 April, makes no reference to the legal aid available to unaccompanied and separated children in care through exceptional case funding.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office designed the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to be: free of charge; streamlined; and user-friendly. The majority of applicants apply with-out the need for advice from a lawyer on rights to enter or remain. Although legal aid is available, we did not anticipate the vast majority of applicants would need legal aid.The Home Office has created and issued guidance about the EUSS to help local authorities and Health and Social Care Trusts understand their responsibilities for supporting looked after children and care leavers and how to apply. Although the EUSS was designed to be as simple as possible, we have committed to working with applicants to ensure they obtain the status they need where required. The guidance is clear that where necessary, because of case complexity, or if there is any doubt about how to proceed, that the LA or HSCT may consider obtaining independent legal advice, in line with their own organisational processes and policies.The guidance is intended to help local authorities and HSCT staff navigate information available on gov.uk by pulling together relevant information relating to looked after children and care leavers into one simple straight forward document. It is also the intention that this information pack will be updated and added to as and when required.

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the potential for technological solutionsfor the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit.

baroness williams of trafford: Ministers and officials are continually assessing the use of technology in relation to the management of the border. The Government has established a Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group of technical experts in customs and trade to test ideas,

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Senior Civil Servants

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Duncan of Springbank on 27 June (HL16506), whether they will now answer the question put, namely whether the appointment of Lindy Cameron as a new Director General at the Northern Ireland Office was a Foreign and Commonwealth Office initiative; what discussions they had with the government of the Republic of Ireland prior to that appointment; and whether they will place a non-redacted copy of the mission-statement for that post in the Library of the House.

lord duncan of springbank: Pursuant to my response of 27 June, the appointment of the Northern Ireland Office’s Director General was a routine civil service appointment approved by the Civil Service Senior Leadership Committee and Cabinet Secretary. It was not a Foreign and Commonwealth Office initiative nor were there, and nor would it have been appropriate to have had, prior discussions about this appointment with the Irish Government. In line with the procedures for routine civil service appointments there is no ‘mission-statement’; however I will arrange for an unredacted copy of the job description to be placed in the Library of the House.

Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry

lord lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the report of the Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Inquiry will be published.

lord duncan of springbank: Sir Patrick Coghlin is leading the report into the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme and has stated that no date has yet been set for publication. As the inquiry was established and is being supported by the Department of Finance, my Noble Friend should direct further queries about the inquiry to the Permanent Secretary of that Department.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of proposals by the Centre for Policy Studies to establish opportunity zones to increase trade after Brexit.

viscount younger of leckie: The Department for International Trade is committed to encouraging trade, investment, and economic growth across the whole of the UK. DIT teams around the world promote investment opportunities across the UK, and through the High Potential Opportunities programme in particular, we showcase those investment opportunities which are overlooked, misunderstood or under-estimated – including Aquaculture in Dorset, sustainable packaging in Great Manchester, and carbon fibre manufacturing in the Tess Valley. We are open to new ideas that deliver economic advantage to the UK and will consider the proposals put forward by the Centre for Policy Studies as we consider how to take advantage of new freedoms once we have left the European Union.